Welcome to the ALL NEW "Monkey Baby ...going green" (Formerly known as the Monkey Baby Boutique blog). This site has been dormant for quite awhile as my life took a turn in a different direction. My children are growing up and I've been focusing on designing knitwear.
Recently I've done some thinking about continuing on with this site, and it has led me to a total makeover! I will continue to post tips on going green and creating a healthier you, healthier home and a healthier planet! But I will also be including information on sustainable knitwear created by myself and others. Please leave your comments and let me know what you think of the NEW look!


Tuesday, July 29, 2008

How to Raise a Healthy Child, In Spite of Your Doctor

How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor
I just ran across a wonderful book today! How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, renowned pediatrician and author advises parents on home treatment and diagnosis of colds and flus, childhood illnesses, vision and hearing problems, allergies, and more. PLUS, a complete section on picking the right doctor for your child, step-by-step instructions for knowing when to call a doctor, and much more. I encourage every mom to get this book! Chapter 7 is not to be missed!
He teaches that a Fever is one of our body's defenses against disease. Here is one of his quotes "Measures to reduce temperature, such as drugs or sponging are worse than unnecessary; they are actually counterproductive!" Fever reducing medicines can actually cause liver damage. We want to work "with" a fever.
Another great resource is the book titled The How to Herb Book (it's a wonderful book to have) Learn how to use onion juice for an ear ache! We do not need to depend on antibiotics for ear aches!
I recommend these two books as must haves for every home library!




Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Make Your Summer Traveling 'Greener'

Are you looking for a way to make your Summer Vacation a bit 'greener'? 'Going green' doesn't mean you have to stay at home. You just need to find a greener way to travel. You can reduce your carbon footprint (the amount of carbon dioxide & other greenhouse gases that your daily activities emit) by purchasing carbon offsets and choosing to use low-carbon transportation both during the trip and at your final destination.

By buying carbon offsets, You can shrink your footprint significantly.
Native Energy offers business specific types of offsets which include offsets for travel companies, events and business travel. With Native Energy you can support specific projects, such as the Wanner Family Dairy Farm Methane Project. Native Energy also offers renewable energy credits, which are much like buying green power from your utility company. You can choose from either 100% wind power, 100% methane power or 50% wind/50% methane. It would cost $24 to offset a flight from JFK to LAX. Carbonfund prides itself on offering the lowest prices, sells offsets to support projects in renewable energy, and energy efficiency & reforestation. These offsets sell for $5.50 per ton. Offsets for the that same flight would cost $4.92. These are just 2 of the more than 50 carbon offset retailers in today's growing market. So with so many choices, how do you know if one is better than the other? A good carbon offset should be verified or certified by a third party, meaning that they comply with the Gold Standard, the Voluntary Carbon Standard 2007 or the standards set by Green-e Climate.

The offsets sold by Carbonfund and Native Energy are both verified by The Gold Standard and VCS 2007. In the meantime, Green-e Climate in February became the first U.S. certifier of consumer carbon offsets. To this day, Green-e Climate has only certified carbon offsets from 4 retailers: 3Degrees, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, Community Energy & Renewable Choice.

This summer, let's all choose to ease our guilt that is caused by our travels by buying carbon offsets. Let's offset the greenhouse gas emissions by financing projects that add clean energy to the power grid and reduce the overall demand for fossil fuels!


"Green travel is more than where we go and what we do; it's how we travel. If we journey with a respect for Earth's resources and inhabitants, we contribute to a world which supports healthy growth, both in nature and in human relationships."
-
Visit Earth Routes for some WONDERFUL reservations & resources for green travel!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Tips for storing fresh produce in the fridge...

Is there really a way to store delicious, fresh vegetables that will keep them fresh longer? I always run into the problem of buying too much and then losing some to spoilage, because we don't eat them fast enough! How I hate wasting tasty vegetables!

So... I thought Id share some general tips that I recently found on storing produce:

1) Most fruits should be kept OUT of the refrigerator unless it is on the verge of spoilage. Everything that is normally considered as fruit is included in this rule, including tomatoes, but not zucchini. The refrigerator is a dry environment that dries fruit out, fills it with strange odors and flavors, and sabotages the natural taste.

2) There is also no need to refrigerate potatoes, onions, or garlic if you have a dry cupboard in your home in which to store them.

3) A lot of produce suffers from being washed and then stored. You should not store washed basil or mushrooms in a plastic bag. Try washing your green leafy items at once so that you can quickly pull them out later for salads. If you ever end up with wet lettuce or salad mix, try adding a paper towel inside the plastic to absorb the moisture. This keeps them moist enough that they don't wilt.

4) Almost all other veggies will wilt, shrivel, pucker, and rot at a more rapid pace if not enclosed in some type of vapor barrier. Crisper drawers never really work, so try reusing plastic bags (which is another way to recycle them!), which traps some of the moisture and delays spoilage. Tupperware-type containers also work very well!

Always remember to consume your vegetables on a first-to-rot, first-to-eat basis. Try not to worry too much about which type of bag you use. Buying fresh, healthy, local food is a higher priority.

Lettuce eat veggies!

A Hip Hangout for Haute Mamas!



I would like to share a little about a great Blog-based community site that I am a proud member of. It's called Posh Mama! There you will hear from a variety of authors... on fashion, beauty, style, interiors, fitness, health, high tech gadgets and more!!!
*Posh Mama Online Magazine and Social Network is a positive and upbeat community made up of women from around the world. You will feel immediately welcomed as it is the sweetest spot on the 'net. Come hang out, network and make some great friends at www.poshmama.com.
Come join us and be an Original Posh Mama! It is the Hip Hangout for Haute Mamas!
Stop by and visit me at MyPlace on PoshMama and say "Hi"! See you there!!!


Monday, July 14, 2008

Healthy Whole Food Meals are Quick, Easy and Delicious!


A whole food diet is the key to a long and healthy life. New recommendations encourage consuming more fruits, vegetables and whole grains every day. This is easily accomplished by eating terrific-tasting, nutrient-rich whole food meals made in the Vita-Mix machine.

Make whole food juice that's full of fiber and flavor in under a minute.
Cook soup from scratch that's hot, hearty and satisfying in just 4 minutes.
Make frozen treats that are full of fruit and low in fat in only 30 seconds.
Grind fresh whole grains into flour and knead dough for healthy home made bread in one 5-minute operation.

Start your 30-day no-risk in-home trial today and we'll give you FREE Standard Ground Shipping!
Click here to get started - https://secure.vitamix.com/redirect.aspx?index.aspx?COUPON=06-003350
After you click on the link above, be sure to scroll down on that page and watch the demonstration. You'll learn how to make a wonderful Garden Fresh Cocktail!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

121,197 children under six poisoned by household cleaners last year

Did you know that the levels of pollutants in our indoor air is 5 times more than the level you’ll find outside? It's also a fact that women who work at home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than women who work outside the home. (This can be specifically attributed to the contact they have with household cleaning products).
There are 73 million homes with children under the age of 18. Poison Control reports that 121,197 children under the age of six were poisoned by household cleaners just last year. The other issue with household cleaners today is that asthma rates are also escalating far beyond what any scientists can explain. Scientist believe that asthmatic reactions can be exacerbated by the kinds of cleaning products that people have in their homes.
So, there are all kinds of health issues and problems that involve our little ones that are crawling around on our floors and breathing in the fumes from the products we are using. I believe it's our responsibility to really share this information with other moms out there, because most consumers have no idea that the things they're using in their homes can actually cause them harm. People assume that most products that they buy should be totally fine for them to use in their homes, and that's simply not the case.
I would love to share a safe, "green" cleaning alternative with you... Changing the products you use can really change your life as well as being safer for our planet. Please take a moment to visit my safe, "green" cleaning site.
I say "green" because, just one of our household cleaning Starter Kits does the equivalent of these 3 things:
  • eliminating 108 pounds of packaging waste
  • eliminating 248 pounds of greenhouse gas
  • ...and the equivalent to planting 10 trees
You can also listen to a 3 minute recorded message that gives you an overview on our products. Just dial 1-925-924-3000
Consider buying a product that is safer for you, your home and our planet!
Create a Gift Registry at The Land of Nod